1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a centrifugal/vibratory feeder system and more particularly pertains to separating generally cylindrical workpieces and axially orienting the separated workpieces while individually feeding them for further processing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of feeder systems of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, feeder systems of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of feeding and separating workpieces are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,902 issued Aug. 19, 1997 to Kraus relates to a Vibratory Feeder for Granular Material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,176 issued Jul. 29, 1997 to Ma relates to Vibratory Feeder Trays and Synchronous Mass Production Apparatus for Circuit Board Fabrication. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,323 issued May 5, 1998 to Dragotta relates to an Apparatus for High Speed Inspection of Objects.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a centrifugal/vibratory feeder system that allows for separating generally cylindrical workpieces and axially orienting the separated workpieces while individually feeding them for further processing.
In this respect, the centrifugal/vibratory feeder system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of separating generally cylindrical workpieces and axially orienting the separated workpieces while individually feeding them for further processing.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved centrifugal/vibratory feeder system which can be used for separating generally cylindrical workpieces and axially orienting the separated workpieces while individually feeding them for further processing. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.